Boss defends closure of two care centres

THE boss behind cuts to two vital centres for vulnerable people on Tyneside has spoken out to defend their closure.

Voicing their concerns over the closure of Chirton House during a public meeting

THE boss behind cuts to two vital centres for vulnerable people on Tyneside has spoken out to defend their closure.

Newcastle City Council’s executive director of adult and culture services, Ewen Weir, said the plans to close Chirton House Resource Centre, in Byker, Newcastle, and the Westerhope Centre, would lead to “better services” in the city in the future.

The Chronicle has already reported how service users and staff are furious the two centres are facing closure, and are calling on the council to rethink their plans.

Chirton House, rated excellent by the Care Quality Commission, cares for older people while the Westerhope Centre supports people with learning disabilities.

“Like all public sector organisations, we face unprecedented spending challenges in all departments and we have had to look very carefully at how we can balance the books while providing high quality services,” Mr Weir said.

“The department I run has come up with a raft of proposals that aim to save £15m next year.

“Wherever possible, the aim has been to protect the frontline services that some Chronicle readers rely on.

“None of these have been easy to come up with, and I know that our proposals to close Westerhope Day Centre and Chirton House Older People’s Resource Centre are causing particular concern.

“Both centres do excellent work with vulnerable people and provide vital support to their carers and families. However, there is spare capacity in both buildings, and in our other centres.

“This is partly because of the introduction of direct payments that give people more choice about the services they receive.

“In the case of Westerhope, people with lower-level learning disabilities are choosing more activity-based pastimes. People with the most serious needs will still find a place at the Welford Centre in Gosforth.

“In the case of Chirton, closing it will allow us to invest in one of our remaining three centres for older people and ensure we deliver more services to help people get back on their feet and living independently – reducing the need for long periods in hospital. To get value for money we must get the best use out of all the buildings we have. It’s important to stress that these are still proposals and we are listening to the concerns of carers, families and staff. We are bound by rules and regulations that make sure we meet the needs of the vulnerable.”

However, the council’s Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee said council leaders have not looked into the impact of the cuts in enough detail, and referred the decision back to the council’s executive.

Mr Weir added: “The council will meet early next month to agree its budget. In the meantime we welcome comments on proposals that, while difficult, will lead to better services more suited to the needs of vulnerable people in our city.”

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